The Most Unexpected
by EpitomeOfImperfection
Summary: It is Hermione's wedding day, the best day of her life. The amazing day is ruined when Ron abandons her at the altar. She decides to take revenge on him and she knows just the person who can help her. But what happens when her plan backfires and slaps her on the face?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1-**

Hermione stood speechless as she stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes revealed wonder and astonishment. She hadn't thought it possible that she could look this wonderful. The bossy, bushy haired Hermione Granger, who tolerated no nonsense, had been transformed into an elegant princess. She wore a pure white dress with miles of skirt that swept the ground. The tight bodice was full of intricate pearls that gleamed. A satin sash was sewn at her waist. That, and the flowing skirt, showed off her shapely figure perfectly. Ron Weasley would not be able to keep his eyes off her.

It was her wedding day.

"Ginny, you are simply the most amazing friend a girl could have,' said Hermione quietly.

'Aww, honey, you're welcome. Besides, I expect the same kind of treatment on my wedding day,' winked Ginny.

'Well then, I am going to have to nag Harry to propose as soon as possible. I don't want to owe you for a long time,' said Hermione mischievously. The two girls laughed.

Hermione remembered the day Ron had proposed. They were holidaying in Switzerland. The hotel where they were staying was placed on the foot of a mountain. It looked like a huge cozy cottage. A path behind the hotel led to a lake, which looked beautiful in the moonlight. Ron suggested a walk at night, after a full day of sight-seeing. She, Hermione, remembered getting irritated with him. However, when they had walked down that path and Hermione saw the lake bathed with moonlight, she was unable to say anything. It was probably the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. When she turned to look at Ron, he was down on one knee gazing at her with a look of pure love and adoration. When Ron whispered the words she had longed to hear ever since her fourth year at Hogwarts, her eyes filled with tears. And now, two months later, they were finally getting married.

'Ready, Hermione?' asked Ginny.

Hermione nodded confidently and held out her arm to her father. Dr. Granger smiled at his daughter giving her a silent blessing with his eyes. As she started walking, Harry ran up to her.

'Hermione, Ron's not here!' exclaimed Harry.

'What do you mean? It's his wedding day,' asked Hermione in confusion.

'Yeah, well, he's not here. I meant to tell you earlier, but I thought he would show up eventually,' said Harry with a worried look on his face.

'But then something must have happened to him,' said Hermione anxiously.

Harry looked at her with pity and said, 'Uh, well, when I couldn't find him anywhere I decided to go to his place. Maybe he was still asleep, you know. However, when I reached, I found a note lying on his bed. It was addressed to you. I am really sorry, Hermione,' He held a note which he gave her.

Hermione read the note and tears filled her eyes.

It said,

_My__dearest__Hermione,_

_When you see this, I'll be gone. I know I should've told you earlier that I wasn't ready for marriage but you seemed so happy and excited! I am a coward, I know it, but I can't go through with this. I am just not ready for marriage. I am so sorry. I love you, I really do, I probably always will. Try not to hate me too much._

_Love,_

_Ron _

The note shattered Hermione's world.

**Two months later**

Hermione glanced at the clock above the door and realized with a jolt that it was past one in the morning. She had been working so late for the past two months. She quickly finished the letter she was writing to order a few products for the store and grabbed her cloak. As she left the shop after locking it magically, she decided to apparate outside Diagon Alley. She decided that this was the last night she would leave the shop so late and from tomorrow, she would try to go out and mingle. She had been working in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George, as an attempt to cheer her up, had suggested it. So far it had not worked. Her life had become hopeless. The future looked so bleak and dark. Ever since Ron had left her, she hadn't been the same. She slept a total of 4 hours at night and the rest of the time she cried.

It was extremely cold and Hermione longed for the warmth and comfort of her bed. She closed her eyes tightly as tears threatened to fall. However, she couldn't control them, and as they ran past her cheeks, they immediately froze. She didn't want to be like this. She didn't want to miss Ron so much. She wanted Hermione Granger back, the one she had been two months before. She reached the end of Diagon Alley and swiped the tears with a shaking hand. She was suddenly furious at herself for being so weak. Ron was probably enjoying in some foreign country and here she was crying as if someone died. Hermione decided it was time to take revenge. With that happy thought, she went to bed. She slept the whole night without any tears for the first time in two months.

When she woke up in the morning, the first thought that came in her mind was to meet Harry. She dressed up quickly and had very little breakfast. Then she turned on the spot and apparated just outside Harry's door. She knocked twice and waited for someone to open the door. Ginny opened the door rubbing her eyes and stared at Hermione blearily.

'Hermione! What are you doing here, now?' exclaimed Ginny.

Hermione realized with a blush that it was only six in the morning.

'I am sorry, Ginny. I just wanted to talk to Harry.' apologized Hermione quickly.

'Why so early?' asked Ginny incredulously.

'I just had an incredible idea and I know Harry can help me.' said Hermione excitedly.

Ginny eyed her suspiciously and nodded. Hermione wasn't surprised at Ginny's less than friendly behavior. She was usually like that if woken up too early. She walked past her and headed straight to where she knew Harry would be sleeping.

'Harry, wake up!' screamed Hermione.

She started hitting him with a pillow and finally Harry woke up.

'Jesus, Hermione, what are you doing here?' asked Harry irritated.

'I need to talk to you, please!' begged Hermione.

'Well, okay,' said Harry. It had been a long time since he had seen Hermione excited, so he decided to give in.

'Alright, why don't you dress up while I wait outside.' smiled Hermione.

'Yes yes, off you go,' said Harry waving her away.

Hermione bounced out of the room and the muggle in her prepared coffee non-magically while Harry and Ginny got dressed. Just as she finished making it, they emerged out of the room.

'So, what is this great plan, Hermione?' asked Harry rolling his eyes.

'Oh Harry, you know I have been a little low the past two months,' began Hermione.

Harry snorted.

'Okay then I have been extremely miserable. The point is that I have decided to get over it,' said Hermione brightly.

'_That__'__s_ your plan?' asked Ginny murderously.

Hermione laughed and said, 'Of course not. Harry, you are in contact with Ron, yes?'

Harry nodded and said,' Yes, but if you want me to talk to him and ask him to come back to you then believe me I have tried that a billion times. He is enjoying travelling the world too much,'

'Right, so, if I start seeing a new man can I trust you to tell him about it? Every single detail about the man. Who he is, what he does, what sort of a person he is, his family background etc. Everything.' asked Hermione.

Harry nodded not sure of where it was going. But apparently Ginny got it because she started staring at Hermione with wide eyes and said,' Hermione, you wouldn't!' Then she started giggling.

Hermione winked at her. Harry looked at them in confusion. He started shaking his head and then suddenly he understood. He looked at Hermione in shock and asked only one question,

'Who is the other man?'

**Alright, if you've got any suggestions, please take two seconds, click the review button and review? :- ) it is very encouraging. In addition, PLEASE, PLEASE, review nice stuff or even constructive criticism will do. It really makes my day. I will continue this story depending on the feedback. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter****2-**

Draco Malfoy paced his living room edgily. He was still confused. Why exactly had that Granger girl, after 7 years of no exchange, contacted him? When he had left the war with his parents, he had hoped that it was the last he saw of any of them. He had decided to work at the Ministry of Magic and live contently, like his father, for the rest of his life. He had done exactly that. Except for a few rumors, he hadn't heard about Hermione, Ron and Harry for a long time and he wasn't very keen to change that. He thought he had the perfect life and didn't want some Know-it-all to wreck it.

He looked at the door, then at the watch and noticed with anger that she was late. Yes, she had asked to meet him at _his_house.

He heard a knock and saw one of his elves run to the door. He saw the elf bow and let Hermione in. He took one look at her and realized that she had changed a lot, except for the frizzy hair, of course. Her face had become more like a woman. He hated himself for this, but damn, she looked pretty. She also looked like she had done well for herself. It wasn't a surprise. The woman had been one whiz kid and he assumed she was leading a comfortable life now. However, he knew that all was not well. He had heard a very interesting piece of gossip about her from his mother.

'Hello, Malfoy.' said Hermione pleasantly.

'Granger, how very nice to see you. Still have a nest on our head, do we?' smirked Malfoy.

Hermione rolled her eyes and reminded herself to be nice to him. She needed him. She observed that he had become tall. Very tall. His hair, which he had kept sleek before now, hung over his left eye sexily. He had a strong built now and was no longer gangly. The only thing, which hadn't changed, was that arrogant, irritating smirk.

'Thank you very much, Malfoy. So as you may have guessed, I am here for a reason,' said Hermione still trying to keep her calm.

'No really, Granger? I thought you wanted to catch up,' said Malfoy sarcastically.

Hermione rolled her eyes again and continued, 'I know I may be the last person you want to help, but I would be grateful if you do,'

'You want my_help_?' asked Malfoy incredulously.

Hermione nodded and said,' I am not sure if you've heard but, Ron broke up with me two months ago,'

'He turned out to be a smart one,' said Malfoy widening his eyes mockingly. Then immediately stopped as he realized Hermione had tears in her eyes. God, why did she have to cry? It took the fun out of things.

Malfoy is such an asshole, thought Hermione angrily. But she was more pissed at herself for letting him get to her. She quickly hid her tears and said, 'Well, whatever. The point is I am fed-up of pining for him. I suffer day after day, night after night; while he probably relaxes at a beach and watches blondes prance around in bikinis,'

'Yeah, right. Anyway, the only thing he probably does is look. Whenever he tries to hit on one of them, they must go like, 'Ginger' and then go away,' joked Malfoy.

Hermione burst out laughing and didn't stop for five whole minutes. She had tears in her eyes. Malfoy looked at her in bewilderment. This was the first they both agreed on something. Finally, she stopped laughing and wiped her eyes.

'Good one, Malfoy,' said Hermione merrily.

'What's that, Granger? Did you just agree with what I said?' said Malfoy mockingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that day. Trust him to ruin a friendly moment. 'Whatever. I really really need your help,'

'What do you want, Granger? A conditioner?' asked Malfoy and then laughed at his own lame joke.

'No, Malfoy,' said Hermione with forced patience, 'I want you to go out with me,'

**Extremely short chapter, I know. But I wanted it to end like this. Sorry! I will update faster this time. Maybe tomorrow? we'll see.**

**Oh and thank you for reviewing, making this story a favorite and putting it on alert. I didn't expect this much! You guys are the best. I am so grateful. It is amazing to get back from school and see about twenty emails in my inbox. Made my day. :') Review this time also? Also, if you notice any mistakes, please point them out. Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- **

Ron stretched his legs on the silky white sand and looked ahead. The view was beautiful. The sun shone brightly and let it's rays fall on everything under it. The ocean gleamed like a diamond and since the tide was low, it was calm and cool. There was an even more beautiful view right in front of him. An extremely sexy brunette was getting ready to remove her bikini top. Ron watched her eagerly and sighed in pleasure when she finally did.

'God, I love Australia,' said Ron blissfully.

'And I love red-heads,' said a female voice with an Australian accent.

Ron looked at the woman with interest. She was gorgeous. She had long white blonde hair and huge doe-like eyes. Her curvy body and long legs made her pretty much perfect.

'Do you really?' asked Ron flirtatiously.

The woman nodded and then laughed. 'Hi, I am Sally. And you?'

'I am Ron,' Ron held out his hand. Sally took it and lowered herself to the sand.

'Do you live here? You sound British.' asked Sally.

'Not exactly. I am on a long vacation, sort of.' explained Ron. 'Though I might live here permanently. It seems like a great place,'

'It is. I love living here. Do you have a girlfriend?' asked Sally and then laughed at Ron's surprised look. 'I'm sorry, that was weird. But you seem like a great guy,'

'As a matter of fact, I don't.' winked Ron.

'Care to join me for lunch then?' smiled Sally.

llllllllll

'Hermione, tell me. Who is this guy? You didn't tell me the other day, and it's high time you told me now, now that we're meeting him.' said Harry sternly.

'Harry, quit nagging. You'll find out in a second,' said Hermione rolling her eyes.

Hermione felt like she was going to expire any second. She had never been this nervous in her entire life. No, scratch that. She had been this nervous when Harry had duelled Voldemort for the last time. She couldn't even remember how she had convinced Malfoy. His reaction had been… terrifying.

'Granger, are you kidding?' These were the first words that left his mouth. He looked thunderstruck when she shook her head.

'No freaking way,' was his reply.

'Malfoy, please! I really need you to help me,' begged Hermione.

Malfoy was too angry to realize that Hermione Granger was begging her.

'Why should I help you? Why me?' Malfoy had asked irksomely.

'Because Ron hates you and this is the best way to make him feel like an ass,' said Hermione.

Then, Malfoy had rolled his eyes and said he would think about it.

Today, just about an hour ago, Hermione had received an owl from him. He had agreed to help her. He had also made it clear that she owed him one. To find out what he wanted, Hermione had arranged for him to meet her and Harry at a café at around noon and obviously he was late. She let out a frustrated sigh. It was such a beautiful day; trust Malfoy to ruin it for her. The worst part was, she couldn't even give him an earful when he finally came because she needed him. Hermione hated depending on someone.

'Hermione, where is he? It's getting annoying now,' said Harry irritated.

Hermione looked around desperately. Finally she spotted him appearing out of nowhere under a tree.

'He's here!' said Hermione nervously.

'Where?' asked Harry.

'There,' said Hermione timidly and then pointed in the direction of the tree.

Harry looked and his eyes widened.

'Hermione, are you freaking crazy?' he asked aggressively.

Before Hermione could reply, Malfoy had reached their table and said, 'Hello, Granger. Now lets get this done quickly, I don't have the whole day,'

Harry looked at him in incredulity. 'That's not how you talk to Hermione!' he said indignantly.

'I will talk to her however I wish. I'm the one helping her, not you, so it'll be better if you shut up, Potter,' said Malfoy shortly.

Harry gave Hermione a fierce look and stared ahead ignoring both of them. Hermione rolled her eyes at their immaturity.

'Alright Malfoy, what do you want?' asked Hermione getting straight to the point.

Malfoy sneered at her and then said, 'Okay, now that we are "dating" don't you think we should act like it?'

'What do you mean?' asked Hermione frowning with confusion.

'You're not going to like it, Granger' said Malfoy smiling slowly.

'What is it Malfoy? You're driving me crazy!' exclaimed Hermione.

**Short, I know. I'm sorry? : ( Also, to all the Ron fans, I'm sorry for putting him under bad light but it's my plot. Personally, I love Ron! **

**Sorry, I couldn't update sooner! Loads of drama going on in my house! Anyway, updates will be faster from now on, probably every other day. Thank you for reviewing the fic., putting it on alert/ favorite. You guys seriously rock! It is very encouraging, so do it again? Also, please point out the mistakes, and if you have an idea Please tell me? Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- **

'So, where do you stay?' asked Sally.

'I stay in London,' said Ron.

'Wow, I've never been there! What's it like?' exclaimed Sally.

'Oh it's great! A busy bustling city. I rather miss it actually. I haven't been home for more than two months,' said Ron wistfully.

'So why can't you go back?' asked Sally curiously.

'Umm…I…had a fiancé,' said Ron looking a bit discomfited.

'And?' prompted Sally.

'Well, I left her…on our wedding day,' continued Ron turning red. He wondered why he even told her. His chances of getting her to go out with him seemed nil now.

'You didn't. What's her name?' gasped Sally.

Ron nodded sadly. 'Hermione. I feel like an ass. I wish I hadn't proposed, I wish I hadn't led her on. It's not even like I didn't love her, I did, but marriage is so scary! What if my feelings changed?'

Sally nodded understandingly. 'Have you heard from her?'

Ron snorted. 'Like she will talk to me,'

'C'mon you can try contacting her!' said Sally.

'No. She is my past. I have to move on,' said Ron and then smiled at her. Sally smiled back.

'So, what now?' asked Ron. It was past four. They had spent the whole afternoon talking.

'Well, I gotta get back. I have some work to do. It was nice meeting you Ron. Wanna stay in touch?' asked Sally.

'Of course! Do you have an ow-' Ron stopped. She didn't know he was a wizard. He was going to have to be careful.

'What?' asked Sally intrigued.

'I mean, can I have your number?' amended Ron.

'Absolutely,' replied Sally and then gave her number to him. Then, she bent forward to kiss him, softly. 'See you around,' She smiled shyly and then left the restaurant.

Ron grinned widely.

lllllllllllll

'Granger, I think we should move in together,' said Malfoy smirking slightly.

'WHAT! Move in_together?_ Why should we do that?' asked Hermione

furiously

'Because, we have to look the part,' said Malfoy smiling evilly.

'But Ron isn't even here! How is he going to know? And how do you get benefited?' asked Hermione dangerously.

'I get to annoy you 24/7.' said Malfoy simply.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, 'No.'

'Then we have a problem,' said Malfoy softly.

'What do you mean?' Hermione narrowed her eyes.

'I mean that I'm not sure I can pretend to be your boyfriend. It's too much work. See, I have to be around you for some amount of time everyday, which is asking a lot considering the fact that you're unbearable,' explained Malfoy malevolently.

'But you would have to be around me for a longer time than that if we moved in together,' pointed out Hermione without missing a beat.

'True, but if you lived with me, there would be some pros too,' smirked Malfoy.

Hermione sighed. 'I hate you, Malfoy'

'Is that a yes?' asked Malfoy smugly.

Hermione nodded sadly.

'Hermione, you can't live with him!' exclaimed Harry appalled.

'I have no choice, Harry,' replied Hermione sorrowfully.

'But he's a…_dog!__' _ said Harry disgustedly.

'Hello? I'm right here!' exclaimed Malfoy.

Hermione ignored him and said, 'It's okay, Harry. It's only for a few months. Once Ron realizes his mistake I will move out,'

Harry looked at her with pity. He was angry with Ron now. Look what he had done to her. She had to seek Malfoy's help just so that she could feel better. It was all Ron's fault at the end of the day. And now, Harry thought with determination, he would co-operate more with Hermione only to make Ron feel like shit.

Harry nodded and smiled,' I know you'll be okay'

Hermione smiled back at him. Harry said to Malfoy,' Malfoy, I'm requesting you, please don't do anything wrong,'

Malfoy looked at him in surprise and then nodded slowly.

llllllllll

'Hey, boss. Everything's going according to the plan. His name is Ronald Weasley and everything you said about him is confirmed. He is from London and his ex-fiancé's name _is_Hermione Granger,' reported Sally to a man in a park behind the café.

'What does he think about you?' asked the man.

'He adores me,' Sally started laughing loudly.

'That's great. You know what to do next, yes?' asked the man.

Sally nodded and smiled slowly, 'This is going is to be fun,'

**Who _is_ Sally? You'll find out later! Ha-ha. Anyway, how was it? An early update, I know. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to update for a few days so…! By the way, haven't you guys found even one error? Really, you should tell me! Any requests or suggestions? Let me know : ) As usual, thank you for reviewing, favorite-ing and putting the fic. on alert. You guys are beyond amazing. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello, amazing people! **_

_**I just wanted to tell you people that Sally met Ron only after word went around that Draco and Hermione are dating. Enjoy! ;D**_

**Chapter 5-**

Hermione looked from left to right to check if the coast was clear. When she was sure no one was around, she waved her wand and transferred all her boxes into her car magically. Then, she opened the door of the car and jumped behind the wheel. She was irritated as she wasn't able to apparate because of her stupid boxes.

When she reached her destination- Malfoy's over-the-top mansion, she let out a gloomy sigh. She couldn't believe she would have to live with that arse for a few months. She let herself out of the car, which she had parked outside his gate; proved that she a friend of Mr. Malfoy's, and walked to his door. She knocked. While she waited, she looked at the house. She was quite surprised actually. She had expected Malfoy to do his mansion the way his father had. It was still grand but completely different. It was more of a beach house. But then, he lived on the beach. What else had she expected? It had a luminous glassy exterior and was on the short side. The house looked tremendously large. A family of twenty could live inside it comfortably, Hermione assumed. It was elegantly styled, and practically screamed the word 'rich'.

She could hear the gentle lapping of the waves and imagined herself strolling on the beach at night. The thought brought a smile to her face. She was brought back to earth when someone finally opened the door.

'Hello, Ms. Granger,' squeaked an Elf.

Hermione smiled and let herself in. If she was going to live here, then she was going to free all these elves for sure.

'Hello, Granger,' Malfoy entered the hallway and smirked at her.

Hermione nodded stonily and asked, 'Where will I be staying?'

Malfoy addressed the elf and said, 'Take her to the bedroom next to mine, the one on the right,'

Hermione shrugged at his rudeness and followed the elf. She had cast a spell on her boxes and they were now gliding along behind her.

'Come this way, Ms.' squeaked the elf.

'What's your name?' asked Hermione kindly.

'I am the Tippy, Ms.,' Tippy replied.

'Nice to meet you, Tippy,' said Hermione and then smiled.

Tippy bowed and led her to a large room. As he opened the door, Hermione realized that she would be staying in a room, which was next to Malfoy's! She wished she had protested earlier because there was no point doing it now. Tippy had already started unloading the boxes and Hermione hurried to stop him. She wasn't going to let someone else do her work, not when she could do it!

After unpacking, Hermione looked around the room. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but now when she looked at it, she was amazed! The room was large. It was larger than large. It had a queen-sized bed with a nightstand next to it. There were high windows that gave the room a bright and airy look. There was also a large flat screen on the wall, which shocked Hermione. She hadn't thought that Malfoy would use Muggle technology! There was also a walk-in cupboard and a dresser. The highlight of the room was the terrace. It had a huge pool and a lot of open area. It would look beautiful in the moonlight. The terrace took up most of the room. Hermione promised herself that she would work very hard from now on so that she could make more money and afford such a house, or at least such a room. It would be worth staying here just for the room.

'Impressed, Granger?' Hermione heard the very irritating voice of Draco Malfoy, which she would have to endure for a few months, behind her.

'What are you doing here?' she asked irritated.

'Careful, Granger. This is my house,' said Malfoy with a slow smile. 'So, tell me. You are blown away.'

Hermione nodded nonchalantly so that she didn't look as awed as she really was and said, 'It's okay,'

'You don't fool me, Granger. I can see it in your eyes. You love this house and the room,' said a grinning Malfoy.

Hermione rolled her eyes in surrender. 'Fine, it's great. I really do love the house. I didn't know you were capable of such good taste, Malfoy,'

'Wait, did you just compliment me, Granger?' Malfoy widened his eyes mockingly.

'Yes, I did. Now go celebrate.' said Hermione exasperatedly.

Malfoy smirked and left the room. Hermione let out a sigh of relief. She hoped he would stay out of her way.

lllllllll

Ron left his room and went down to the reception. He asked the receptionist if he could use a phone. She told him he could use the hotel phone. Ron thanked her and dialed Sally's number. After about three rings, she picked up.

'Hello, Sally? It's me Ron.' Said Ron nervously. What if she didn't remember him?

'Oh hey, Ron! How you doin'? said Sally enthusiastically.

'I'm alright. Say, how about we meet up today? For lunch?' He was much more confident now.

'Sure. How about the Midnight Café?' asked Sally.

'Awesome! See you there,' said Ron happily.

'Yeah, bye' said Sally cheerfully and hung up.

Ron put the receiver or the cradle and walked back to his room absentmindedly. He was in love again.

**Not much about Sally, I know. But did you guys notice that Hermione and Draco are getting along better than before? Also, thank you for reviewing, putting this fic. on alert and favorites. I love you all so much! Tata.**

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6-**

Ron looked at his watch in puzzlement. Where _was_ Sally? She had said she would be at the Midnight Café at lunchtime. Maybe he was at the wrong place. He was just about to ask the manager if there was any other Midnight Café when Sally appeared at the door. She spotted him and waved. Ron stood up to greet her.

'Hey you, sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long?' asked Sally apologetically.

Ron shook his head and gestured for her to sit. 'How have you been?' He was very happy to see her.

'I'm great! I went to this crazy dance club last night and had the most amazing time,' said Sally enthusiastically.

'That's great!' exclaimed Ron. He had no idea what to say.

'What about you? What have you been up to?' inquired Sally.

'Ah well, to be honest, I have been thinking about you,' said Ron nervously.

Sally looked surprised. 'Me? What about me?'

'Umm, you are a great girl and I really like you. So…I'd really like to be more than friends,' mumbled Ron.

'I…I don't know what to say,' admitted Sally.

'You don't have to give me an answer now. You can tell me by the end of the day,' said Ron quickly.

Sally nodded and smiled mischievously. 'I am flattered, actually,'

'Why?' asked Ron confused.

Sally rolled her eyes and said, 'No one as attractive as you has ever asked me out,'

'Me and attractive? You've got to be kidding me. Also, you are one beauty yourself,' said Ron shaking his head.

'Oh c'mon, Ron, I'm sure a lot of girls must be chasing after you in London. Is that the reason you left?' Sally's eyes twinkled.

Ron looked at her in surprise. 'I told you why I left London. It was because of Hermione,'

Sally shrugged and said, 'Yeah well, I thought there might be some other reason,'

'There isn't,' said Ron abruptly. 'I have to go. I'll see you later,' He got up from his chair and walked out of the café.

'Oh, you are one tough cookie,' muttered Sally.

llllllll

'MALFOY! LET ME OUT OF THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW! I HAVE TO GET TO WORK!' shrieked Hermione furiously.

'Easy, Granger,' said Malfoy maddeningly. 'I thought it would be better if you were locked up inside,' He started laughing wickedly.

'Malfoy, if you don't let me out right now, I will destroy your room,' threatened Hermione. None of her spells worked! She couldn't apparate, unlock the door or open the door to the terrace. She was completely stuck. However, she _could_ destroy his room. Apparently, Malfoy realized that because he said, 'Alright, alright, I give up. I am unlocking your door now,'

Hermione heard the lock click and she cautiously opened the door. She saw Malfoy standing their arrogantly.

'Malfoy, I am going to make your life hell,' whispered Hermione dangerously.

'You wish.' said Malfoy smugly. 'Who will help you make Ron jealous then?'

'I am not trying to make Ron jealous! I just want revenge,' cried Hermione.

'Which in other words is making him jealous,' concluded Malfoy with the trademark smirk.

'No! I don't care about him anymore,' said Hermione. She realized she wasn't even lying. She had sort of forgotten about Ron. Her days were consumed with hating Malfoy and fighting with him. She had unknowingly made Malfoy the biggest part of her life.

'Yeah right, Granger,' said Malfoy with a fake yawn.

'I am serious,' said Hermione evenly.

'Prove it,' said Malfoy.

Hermione looked at him hard. Then she did the most shocking thing ever. She kissed him.

llllllll

'Boss, he is proving very difficult to crack,' said Sally in a low voice. She was sitting on a bench in the same park and was pretending that she didn't know him. 'This is going to take some time,'

'You do know that I'm not really the boss? There is someone else who demands progress everyday. God, I have never met such a demanding woman,' said her Boss harshly.

'I know but he isn't telling me. Argh, I think I might have to sleep with him,' groaned Sally dropping all pretense.

'Well then do whatever you have to do! I have her eating my head every hour,' said the Boss furiously.

'I do have some new information for now,' offered Sally. 'It might shut her up for a while,'

The Boss looked up with interest. 'What is it?'

'He left London for another private reason. I don't think anyone else knows why. He is hiding something,' Sally informed him.

'Hmm. I don't think this will keep her quiet for long. Sally you have to gather more information,' said the Boss thoughtfully.

'I am trying, you know!' exclaimed Sally.

'Well then keep trying. Good day,' the Boss tipped his hat and departed quickly.

God, what an ass, Sally thought.

**How was it? I feel evil. Muhahaha! Anyway, I thought of this game. I will update next when I reach thirty-five reviews. Even if I get thirty-five reviews today, I will update today. I promise. Also, thank you for reviewing the previous chapter. Thank you for putting this story on alert and favorite. Do I really need to tell you guys that you're amazing? I thought not. Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- **

Malfoy's eyes widened in surprise. What was Granger doing? Oh right, she was kissing him. Damn, she was a good kisser. He felt like he had taken drugs. He decided to make the most of the moment, gripped her waist, and pulled her close. He started kissing her back when he suddenly felt her pull away.

'Malfoy! I was just proving a point! You didn't have to KISS ME BACK!' said Hermione her voice rising with every word.

Malfoy looked at her awkwardly. Somehow, he didn't feel like teasing her. That moment with her had been too personal. However, so that he didn't come across as a wimp, he said, 'Hush, Granger. I was making the most of the moment,' But even that came out only half-heartedly and didn't sound like him at all.

Hermione looked at him in revulsion. Apparently, she couldn't see that he hadn't really meant it. She walked up to him and gave him a tight resounding slap. 'You are a sick smelly idiotic RAT!' she screamed.

Malfoy was stunned. 'Granger, I was just kidding,'

'I DON'T CARE!' she shrieked. 'HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? I can't believe you actually took ADVANTAGE of me,'

Oh no, Malfoy thought. She had taken what he had said in a very wrong way.

'That's not what I meant! I mean, it probably sounds like that but I didn't mean it! I just said that to shut you up,' explained Malfoy hurriedly. He wasn't even sure why he was explaining.

'Oh yeah, now you're making excuses! God, Malfoy, I could kill you right now. First, you make me move in with you. Second, you lock me up. Third, you kiss me back. Fourth…' Hermione ranted on.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and muttered inaudibly, 'Wish you would shut up,'

Hermione didn't hear him and continued, 'I was actually starting to think you were-'

Malfoy cut her short. He had grabbed her and kissed her to shut her up. He knew this was not the wisest thing to do but still he had taken the chance. At least, she had stopped talking.

Hermione was stunned. For a few seconds she didn't respond. When she regained the ability to think, she realized that Malfoy was a very good kisser. However, this didn't make up for what he had said and she was about to pull back, when she felt him hold her even tighter. She let him kiss her for one, two, three more minutes. By then she had become drowsy and wasn't in her senses and she could've gladly gone on but Malfoy pulled back. She opened her eyes and saw that Malfoy hadn't let go of her.

'This is not how we should be' he breathed. He was resting his forehead on hers.

'I know. I still hate you though,' whispered Hermione.

'Me too,' Malfoy gave her a quick grin and leaned in to kiss her again.

lllllllll

Later, when Malfoy was in his office, Narcissa Malfoy stormed in.

'Draco Malfoy! What is this that I'm hearing? You are dating that Granger girl? Is it true?' asked Narcissa in an enraged voice.

'Relax, mother. It's not what you think,' said Malfoy. He was about to tell her the truth when he realized that she won't be able to keep it to herself. His mother was the biggest gossip queen anyone could find.

'I don't care! How can you date that mudblood?' she asked furiously.

Malfoy's eyes flashed. 'What did you call her?'

'Oh Draco, I _am_sorry. I know we swore not to use that word again, but I am really mad. We've hated each other for years, so why this now?' asked Narcissa with regret.

'Because she is a very charming and intelligent woman.' Malfoy realized this explanation was very lame so he continued, 'I bumped into her at the ministry sometime ago and we started talking. Give her a chance, Mother,'

'I am _not_going to meet her. Moreover, if you wanted an intelligent and charming young lady then you could have told me. I would have found someone for you. Why, just the other day I met Pansy Parkinson. She had turned out to be such a beauty,' protested Narcissa.

'I don't give a damn about Pansy, mother. I am dating Hermione. Deal with it. Now I have a lot of work to do so can we talk later?' said Malfoy patiently.

Narcissa gave him one last glare and then left huffily.

Malfoy heaved a sigh of relief.

llllllllll

'Hello, Ron?' said Sally uncertainly. She had phoned him to give an answer to his proposal.

'Sally, hey! I am sorry about earlier. I remembered I had to go somewhere,' lied Ron.

'That's alright. I actually called you to tell you that I accept your proposal. I really really like you,' said Sally and inwardly suppressed a shudder.

Ron smiled real big. 'Really? That's great! Oh, I'd like to see you now but it's too late,'

Sally laughed and said, 'So I'll see you tomorrow?'

'Definitely. I miss you,' said Ron cheerfully and hung up.

Sally rolled her eyes and shouted a lot of curses to her boss in her mind.

**Yes! I kept my promise! It's 11:54 pm right now over here! I know it's late but I had gone out. I'm sorry! Now, the next time I will update is when I reach forty-five reviews! I am also going to ask two-three questions at the end of each chapter and you can answer them in your reviews! :-D So here goes- **

**1). Do you prefer Ron or Harry? **

**2) Do you think it's better that Lily ended up with James rather than Severus? **

**Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- **

Ron yawned and sat up. He looked out the window and then at the clock. It was past nine in the morning. The sun was already up, and most of the people too, from what he could see. He remembered last night and smiled. Sally lay next to him. She had a slight smile on her face, and Ron thought she looked beautiful.

'Sally?' he nudged her gently.

Sally groaned and opened one eye. 'What?'

'It's time to get up,' said Ron wryly and got out of bed. Sally looked away while he walked to the bathroom. According to her, the previous night had been bad enough. She buried her head in the pillow. She sat up when she heard Ron starting the shower. She jumped out of bed and started dressing. She didn't want Ron to see her naked again. Once she was done, she collapsed on the bed and waited for him to come out. It was time he told her a little secret.

Ron stepped out of the bathroom, a towel hung on his waist. Sally took a deep breath and walked towards him. She gave him her most seductive smile and stood on her toes to kiss him lightly. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss. She had to stop herself from gagging. He put one hand under her shirt and that's when Sally pulled back.

'Oh no, you don't, Ron. No sex for you,' she announced.

'Why?' Ron whined.

'Because you haven't been honest with me,' she replied faking sadness. God, this better work she thought.

'What do you mean?' asked Ron frowning. 'I practically told you everything about me,'

'No, you didn't. You are not telling me the real reason you left London,' said Sally pointing an accusing finger at him.

'Yes, I did,' said Ron sharply. He looked less confident though.

'You are a liar, Ron, and I thought you really liked me. You know what? Go to hell!' said Sally angrily and walked to the door. Ron ran after her and seized her arm.

'Sally, please,' he begged.

'Let go of me,' she said stiffly.

'Alright, alright, I'll tell you. Will you come back now?' he asked.

Sally looked at him appraisingly and then gave a stiff nod.

'Alright, what happened was…,' Ron started.

llllllllllll

'Draco, I really have to go,' said Hermione. 'We have been in bed all day,'

'I don't care, darling,' said Malfoy nuzzling her neck. 'You are very addictive,'

Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly and pushed Malfoy away. She climbed out of bed and grabbed her robe. She looked back and smiled at his sad expression.

'Oh cheer up, I'll make it up to you tonight,' Hermione winked.

Malfoy smiled and got of bed to. He wrapped his arms around her and said, 'This is really bad. We aren't supposed to really be dating,'

'I know' Hermione nodded. 'But now that we're pretending, we might as well make the most of it,'

'Never thought you would say this,' said Malfoy smirking.

Hermione rolled her eyes again and pulled away from him. She went to dress up and could feel Malfoy's eyes burning a hole at the back of her head.

'What?' she laughed and turned back.

'Nothing, I am just trying to figure out why we haven't done it before,' said Malfoy with a frown.

'Well…because we hated each other?' offered Hermione.

'I still hate,' said Malfoy and shrugged.

'I hate you too,' shot back Hermione.

'That's good. At least something is normal,' said Malfoy and pretended to let out a sigh of relief.

Hermione walked up to him and hit his arm playfully. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into bed.

Later, when they had finished, Hermione lay into bed as Malfoy dressed up. She thought about how they had been with each other for the past two days and couldn't help but wonder at the change in their behavior. What _had_happened? She didn't know and decided she would worry about that later. She thought back, what had Malfoy said earlier? Oh yes, he hated her. What that true or was he kidding? All these sweet gestures…were they genuine or underneath all this was just the Malfoy she had always known, taking advantage of her? She wished she knew. She also knew that she couldn't stop what she had started. Deep down in her heart she knew that she was slowly falling for him. Oh God, Hermione thought, I shouldn't think about that. They had a perfectly fine physical relationship and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn't want feelings to get into the matter and ruin everything. She knew one of them would end up getting hurt and, most likely, that one of them would be her.

'Hermione, hey, what are you thinking?' Malfoy asked. He had been calling her and she hadn't responded.

Hermione smiled at him and said, 'Nothing,'

'Well, okay. Anyway, I have got to go, so I'll see you later,' he had already gotten dressed and leaned down to kiss her.

Damn it, Malfoy thought. They were acting like real couples!

lllllllllll

'Well, what have you got 'til now?' demanded a woman.

'I haven't talked to Sally yet. I am going to meet her in about two hours. I will let you know then,' said the man, who Sally regarded as boss, timidly.

'What! You have been able to gather any substantial information for more than a week now. I am warning you, Gunther. If I don't get more information by the end of this day, you are going to be in huge trouble,' said the woman angrily. Then she turned on the spot and vanished.

Gunther stared at her in outrage and prayed with all his heart that Sally had some new information.

**Right, so, the boss wasn't anyone important. Ha-ha. Don't hate me? Oh, c'mon, :'(. Anyway, this time you gotta take it to fifty-five reviews. Then I'll update! Also, you guys are beyond awesome! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING, PUTTING THE STORY ON ALRET AND FAVORITE! THANK YOU! :D **

**Okay, now, **

**1). Ginny or Luna? **

**2). Do you think Bonnie Wright in the movie didn't justify Ginny's character in the book? **

**Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9- **

'Sally, tell me. What's the latest news?' demanded Gunther,

'I have a lot of information for you,' Sally's eyes sparkled.

'What is it?' asked Gunther eagerly.

'Well, I am not going to tell YOU,' said Sally as though it was the most obvious thing ever.

'Excuse me?' asked Gunther giving her an odd look.

'I am going to tell the woman who is in charge of this whole plan,' said Sally lifting her chin up. 'I deserve to meet her after my hard work,'

'What! Are you crazy? She would never meet you,' declared Gunther.

'Sure, she would. She does want the information doesn't she?' asked Sally smiling wickedly. 'I am the only one who has it,'

Gunther rolled his eyes. 'Fine, I'll let her know that, and then arrange a meeting,'

'Perfect!' said Sally happily and apparated. Gunther rolled his eyes and wondered how long he would have to put up with demanding women.

llllllll

'Draco, let me go. I have to go to work,' giggled Hermione.

'Later,' mumbled Draco and pulled her closer to him.

'No no, now!' Hermione wriggled out of his hold and got out of bed.

'Hermioooneeee,' whined Draco.

'Yes?' asked Hermione playfully.

'You are mean,' pouted Draco.

Hermione laughed and proceeded to dress up. Once she was done, Draco got out of bed, too. She told him that she would fix breakfast while he got ready. He agreed grudgingly and let her go.

He could hear her humming in the kitchen while he got ready. He wondered what he would do when she would leave. He was really getting used to her. Her smile, her laugh, and the way she walked and talked. The sex…God, he would definitely miss that. But that was not the only thing. Her very presence made him so happy. He speculated why he felt the things that he was feeling. Why did he care so much? Why did he want her to stay with him? He needed to talk to a friend. He needed to talk to Blaise Zabini. He knew Blaise would probably be freaked out, no doubt he would have heard about their relationship by now. Still- Draco knew that he would help him. With that happy thought, he went to the kitchen. He saw that Hermione was reading The Daily Prophet.

'Why do you read that nonsense?' questioned Draco.

'It's good to know what's happening in the wizarding world,' replied Hermione.

'You can ask me, you know. I generally know everything that's going on in the wizarding world,' pointed out Draco.

Hermione didn't reply and continued reading the paper. Draco rolled his eyes and said, 'Okay, whatever. It's your wish. I am going to go see Blaise,'

'Zabini?' asked Hermione frowning. _That_got her attention.

'Yes, why?' asked Draco.

'Nothing,' replied Hermione and went back to her paper.

'He's a really nice guy, you know' said Draco wryly. He had guessed what was going on in Hermione's mind.

Hermione put down her paper and gave him a kind smile. 'Draco, I'm glad to know that you have such a high opinion regarding your friends, but I hope you do remember that all of you used to hate Harry, Ron and I,'

'Well, we all have changed now,' said Draco lamely.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, 'Okay, off you go,' and went back to her paper. Draco smiled at her and left.

llllllllll

Draco apparated outside Zabini's building and entered it. He reached his apartment, knocked twice, and waited. When Zabini opened the door, Draco walked in without invitation and said, 'I need your help, man,'

'Well, hello to you too,' said Zabini sarcastically.

'I really need your help,' said Draco urgently.

'Oh, so you remember your friends now? Where was I when you started going out with Hermione Granger?' asked Zabini curtly.

'Blaise, it's a long story. I can explain,' said Draco,

'What is it?' asked Zabini curiously. Draco looked serious and he could sense that this was something important.

'Well, the thing is, Hermione and I aren't dating…well, not exactly,' said Draco awkwardly.

'Wait, what?' asked Zabini shocked.

'We are pretending to date…no we were…I mean, I don't know. It's all so confusing!' said Draco aggressively.

'What do you mean? What happened, Draco?' asked Zabini.

'Okay, I'll tell you from the beginning. Do you know that Ron dumped Hermione at the aisle and all that?' asked Draco.

Zabini nodded. 'Sure, everyone knows that,'

'Well, okay. Anyway, so he left her and she was devastated. Obviously. Apparently, she couldn't take the pain anymore. Which is why, she decided to take revenge on him. Guess who she came to with her super-duper plan?' asked Draco sarcastically.

'Why did she come to you? It doesn't make sense.' Zabini looked bemused.

'Because Ron hates me,' said Draco matter-of-factly.

'Oh…' said Zabini thoughtfully. 'So she wanted to make Ron jealous?'

'That's what I thought, but apparently not. She just wanted to make him feel bad. Anyway, that's not even the point! The point is that we started having sex recently, don't ask how it happened, and I might just have feelings for her,' confessed Draco.

Zabini stared at him. 'I need a second to digest this,'

Draco rolled his eyes and asked, 'Are you done?'

Zabini grinned and nodded. 'Sorry, man. Anyway, are you sure you have feelings for her?'

'I-I think so…' said Draco.

'Give me a yes or no. Black or white, no grey area in between.' said Zabini firmly.

'Uh…' Draco tried to imagine his life without Hermione and failed. 'Yes. I have feelings for her. Now what?'

'Now you let her know that,' said Zabini simply.

lllllllll

Ron walked to the reception and asked the receptionist if he could make a phone call. When she said yes, he quickly grabbed the receiver and dialed Sally's number. It had been a few hours since she had left in a rage! One ring, two rings, three rings and on and on it went for about a minute. Finally, Ron gave up. He was sure she was still mad at him, about what he had told her. He was worried he might lose her. Subconsciously, he walked out of the hotel.

He had planned that after their phenomenal night together; he would tell Sally that he was in love with her. That would have been all right if Sally hadn't somehow coaxed a secret out of him and then gotten mad at him. It was a nightmare. The only girl he had loved this much was Hermione. But he knew that he loved Sally more. She was like a bright light on a dark gloomy night. As he walked, he realized that he had somehow reached the café where he and Sally had had lunch for the first time. He stared at it and felt even more pain at his loss. Maybe she would forgive him. That was his only hope. He kept walking and reached a park behind the café. The park was spread out on a large piece of land. As Ron walked through it, he realized that it consisted of practically everything you would want to find in a dream park. It had a large play area for children and a romantic lake for lovers. There was a sea of flowers, which looked lovely and could cheer up the gloomiest person on earth. Ron felt better as he looked at them. He sat on a bench deciding that this would be his favorite spot to think from then onwards. He loved it because it was quiet and lovely. Just as he thought this, he heard some voices from behind the bushes. A man and a woman seemed to be talking. The man sounded eager.

Ron heard the woman say, 'I have a lot of information for you.' With a start, he realized that it was Sally's voice. He jumped up from the bench and walked behind the bushes so that he could hear more clearly.

He heard the man ask her what the information was.

'Well, I am not going to tell YOU,' Ron heard Sally say.

'Excuse me?' replied the man.

'I am going to tell the woman who is in charge of this whole plan,' said Sally.

'What! Are you crazy? She would never meet you,' the man exclaimed.

'Sure, she would. She does want the information doesn't she?' Ron had never heard his sweet, darling Sally sound so…evil before.

When the man finally agreed, he realized that there was something fishy going on. He wanted to find out what they were talking about. He leaned closer and heard the man say that he would arrange a meeting. He heard Sally say 'Perfect' and then the conversation ended. Ron quickly hid in the bushes expecting Sally to appear. He planned to surprise her. When she didn't appear for sometime he walked to the other side of the bushes and saw that there was no one there. He was stunned. He could see that there was no other way out. A tiny doubt began to creep into his head. What had Sally been talking about and how had she left the park?

**Yes yes, I know! I didn't update for two days! But I was busy. Really. I had tons of homework and assignments and projects to submit. To make it up to you I wrote an extra long chapter. I am VERY sorry. I promise I'll update tomorrow. Please bring it up to seventy reviews? I will update tomorrow no matter what though. You guys are amazing. Thank you for reviewing and putting this story on alert and/or favorites! Your reviews are so encouraging and totally make my day! Thank you thank you thank you! **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- **

'Hermione…' nudged Draco gently.

'Mhmm,'

'Get up,' he said urgently.

'Why?' whined Hermione. It was 2 am and far too early for Hermione to wake up. It was still dark for heaven's sake!

'Please,' he begged.

Hermione sat up slowly, all the while cursing him in her mind. 'I hate you, Draco,' she mumbled.

'C'mon, come to the terrace,' he tugged at her hand until she slipped out of bed and followed him sullenly.

'What is this nonsense?' she asked irritated.

'You'll see,' he said mysteriously.

'Why couldn't you have done this earlier? When I was awake maybe?' she asked sarcastically.

'You have been sleeping the entire evening! I decided to let you sleep for sometime,' protested Draco.

'How kind of you,' said Hermione crossly.

Draco rolled his eyes and announced, 'Okay, we have to wait for about fifteen more minutes,'

'Well then, why did you wake me up now?' exclaimed Hermione.

'Because I thought you would prove to be too difficult to wake,' said Draco smiling impishly.

'Fine, I am sleeping 'til it's time,' said Hermione. She went and sat on the chairs at the terrace, then she gestured for him to come and sit next to her and then after that she rested her head on his shoulder. All this just to sleep for fifteen more minutes.

Draco let her sleep and tried to relax. He was tempted to put her back into bed and ditch the whole plan. What if the entire thing went wrong? What if she said that she had never thought of him in that way? However, that would be stupid, considering the fact that she had slept with him. Maybe she didn't love, or even like him, and was only interested in the sex. Another part of his brain told him that maybe, just maybe…she would reciprocate the love. With such contradicting thoughts, he lost track of time. Suddenly he saw red sparks in the sky which indicated that his plan was about to go into action. He quickly shook her shoulder and tried to wake her up.

'Hermione, get up!' said Draco loudly.

Hermione opened her eyes, gave him a dirty look, and asked, 'What is it?'

'Look,' he pointed at the sky.

Hermione looked. A shower of sparks greeted her eyes. Sparks in red, yellow, green. It was like a fantasy show and Hermione gazed awestruck.

'Wow,' she murmured.

'It's not over yet,' said Draco nervously. This was it. He was about to make the biggest confession of his life and he hoped with all his heart that it would go just as he wished.

He looked at the sky and waited for the final parade of sparks to come and rearrange themselves in the words that would change his entire life, whether it be for the good or the bad.

'Draco, what is it? Isn't it over?' Hermione tugged at his hand impatiently.

'Wait,' he instructed.

Just as he said that, Hermione heard a boom and a million sparks emerged. A brilliant shower of colors struck the sky, and finally, rearranged themselves in the words "I love you. Will you marry me?"

lllllllllll

'Gunther, where is she? She was supposed to be here ten minutes ago,' grumbled Sally. She had stopped calling Gunther "boss", and was finally going to be introduced to the real boss herself.

'Wait, Sally. She'll be here soon,' said Gunther confidently even though he was slightly nervous.

Sally didn't say anything. She desperately wanted to meet the woman who was behind this. After what seemed like ages, a woman finally materialized and walked directly to them. Sally guessed correctly that this was her boss and stood up immediately. She and Gunther had been waiting at the beach for her.

'Hello, you are Sally, yes? Gunther's assistant? I heard you wanted to meet me. Well then, I haven't got the whole day,' said the woman briskly.

'You…you! I have heard of you,' gasped Sally.

'I am sure you have, sweetheart,' smiled the woman kindly. 'Now what is the information you have gathered?'

Sally dug into the bag she was carrying and pulled out a piece of parchment. 'Here it is. I have information that would destroy Ron Weasley's reputation,'

The woman scanned through the parchment and smiled appreciatively. 'This is amazing! I must say, you are quite talented,'

Sally smiled modestly and then got down to business. 'Now, what do I get?'

'About five hundred galleons will be transferred to your bank account. Good day,' said the woman calmly and walked to the apparition spot. Sally watched open mouthed. She was unable to react. This woman was a hurricane. Their entire meeting had lasted for about five minutes! At the same time, Sally hadn't expected such a huge reward. It hadn't been too difficult. Ron was as stupid as you could get and romancing him had been the easiest thing ever.

Sally shrugged and said, 'That went well eh?'

Gunther smiled, 'It was bloody perfect,'

**I didn't update yesterday, I know. And I am truly sorry. My school is proving to be very irritating. But tomorrow is Thursday, which is the last day before the weekend. So I'll try to update daily. : ) Again, thank you for basically everything! Keep doing it. ;D Anyway, I forgot to add questions to the previous chapter. Sorry!**

**1). If you could change one part of the story, what would it be? **

**2). One couple that you wanted to happen but didn't? (Except Draco and Hermione) **

**Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- **

_A Mysterious Break-up_

_By- Anonymous_

_Harry Potter, the boy who lived, might be the one of the greatest wizards of all time, but his best friend, Ron Weasley, is surely not! _

_Earlier this year it was reported that the Ron-Hermione wedding was going to be the event to attend. It was to take place in July. Imagine our surprise when we hear that the wedding is off! Apparently, Mr. Weasley had second thoughts! _

'_This is a very unfortunate thing indeed,' quoted Percy Weasley, brother of Ron Weasley. 'He is obviously not ready. I can't say I am proud of what he's done though.'_

_However, sources reveal that this might not be the real reason at all! The speculation rose when Ron Weasley fled the country right after the wedding. Apparently, he wanted to "tour the world", a reason not very difficult to buy. But Sally Wilson, tells us the exact opposite. _

'_Oh all this talk about not being ready for marriage is bollocks. The thing is, he got into deep trouble at a party.' said Sally dismissively. _

_When we probe further, she tells us the whole story. _

'_Oh, Ron was at a party in the last week of June, I think. He told me that an incredibly sexy brunette was over there and apparently he just lost control and spent the night with her. However, after that they swore to never contact each other again,' explained Sally. 'He was pretty shocked when his one-night stand got in touch with him, just a week before the wedding, and told him that she was expecting his baby. That's when he decided he couldn't face the truth and left the country,'_

_If what Sally tells us is the truth, then we can positively declare that this news won't go down well at the Weasley household. _

_Currently, feckless Ron is said to be vacationing in Australia, which is where he met Sally. _

Hermione put down the paper with trembling hands. She couldn't move. Was what she just read true? She quickly got up, grabbed her cloak, and walked to the fireplace. However, before she could toss the floo powder in, someone was already getting ready to step out. It was Harry.

'Hermione, have you seen this?' He gestured to the Daily Prophet, which he held with one finger as though it was a dead rat.

Hermione nodded mutely. Harry realized she was shattered. Until now, they had all believed that Ron had at least been faithful to her. He walked closer to her and pulled her in a tight hug.

'Hermione, I am really sorry,' he said remorsefully.

'It's okay, Harry,' she said quietly. 'I had really stopped caring about him, you know. I just wasn't prepared for this. This wasn't the Ron we knew,'

'I know! I would strangle him if he was in front of me right now,' said Harry angrily.

'Do you know who wrote this?' asked Hermione. 'The byline is 'Anonymous' '

'I don't know. Looks like Rita Skeeter's work,' said Harry thoughtfully.

Their conversation was interrupted by a male voice calling Hermione. 'Hermione! Where are you?'

'I'm here, Draco,' called back Hermione.

Harry looked at her in astonishment. Since when had they started calling each other by their first names?

'Hermione,' he started suspiciously. 'Is something going on between you and Malfoy?'

Hermione blushed. 'Umm…,' she struggled to reply.

'There _is_ something going,' exclaimed Harry. 'How could you not tell me? What exactly is happening? Tell me everything,'

'Well…it all started with a fight,' began Hermione. 'Unknowingly, I had made Draco a huge part of my life. I hated him, so that way he was always on my mind. One day...I don't know how it happened, but amid a crazy fight we ended up kissing and you know…' shrugged Hermione embarrassed.

'You had sex?' asked Harry loudly.

Hermione glared at him.

'Okay, sorry. But seriously, _Malfoy_?' He asked disgustedly.

'He's not that bad you know. He cares a lot about me,' said Hermione defensively.

Harry rolled his eyes and said, 'Whatever, as long as it's not serious. It isn't right?'

Hermione looked down and mumbled, 'Oh sure. We're not serious at all,'

'What? Are you like in love with him?' cried Harry.

'For your information, Potter; Hermione and I got engaged yesterday,' said Malfoy smugly.

Harry looked at Hermione in disbelief then let his eyes wander to her hand. He spotted a huge diamond ring there glinting in the sunlight.

'Hermione…how could you?' he asked quietly.

'Harry, I'm sorry! I know I should have told you but it happened just last night,' Hermione hung her head in shame.

Harry looked at her in exasperation. 'You knew I would forgive you!'

Hermione looked up and smiled mischievously. Then she ran to him and hugged him tight.

'You are an amazing friend' said Hermione gleefully.

Harry smiled at her and said, 'Congratulations, Hermione. I am glad you got over my ex-best friend,'

'Wait, what was that? Ex-best friend? Potty and Weasel broke up?' asked Malfoy snidely.

Harry didn't say anything. He walked to the table where Hermione had been sitting ten minutes ago, picked up the Prophet and handed it to Malfoy. Harry watched him as he read it. His eyes widened.

'Hermione, are you okay?' he asked concernedly.

'Sort of. I just didn't expect this. I really loved him you know,' said Hermione without thinking. Then, when she realized what she had said, she gasped.

'I'm really sorry, Draco! I just meant that-' She was cut short by Malfoy.

'You told me that you loved me!' he said sounding hurt.

'I do! I just-' She tried to explain desperately.

'Whatever, Granger. Thank you for wasting my time,' said Malfoy and walked out.

Hermione looked at Harry with tears in her eyes.

**So…sad, I know. But it will get better, I promise. Anyway, I know I updated after a looooong time. But I have school and assignments and tests and projects and everything else a fifteen year old has to go through. I am truly sorry though. I will try to update sooner the next time. Also, I noticed that in the previous chapter's second question, most you mistook it for what you would want to change in THIS story. I actually meant what you would want to change in the Harry Potter series. LOL. The good thing is that I came to know what you people think. Anyway, thank you for reviewing, putting this fic. on alert and/ favorite! Alright, now before this story gets over, I want to touch one hundred reviews! I have about one or two more chapters left I think…so you think you can do it? I love you all sooo much! : ) **

**Anyway, the questions for today are, **

**1). Was the DH-2 movie as good as the book? I didn't think so. :/ **

**2). Which is your favorite book out of the seven parts? All are amazing, no doubt, but I don't want such an answer: "I love all the books!" You have to tell me one favorite or even two will do. **

**Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12- **

Ron was lying on the hotel bed when several owls prodded him awake. He tore open almost every letter and he still couldn't understand why he was getting hate mail. Finally only one owl was left. The owl was clutching the _Daily Prophet_. Ron snatched the newspaper and shooed the owls away. He had now presumed that there must be a dreadful article about him in the paper.

'What the _fuck_, Sally? How could you do this to me?' muttered Ron furiously after noticing the headlines.

His eyes scanned the paper with disbelief. That bitch had revealed everything. All that stuff about the party and the brunette back in London, everything!

This was the last time he was confiding in anyone. This was also a nice way of repayment from a girl who he had been so nice and caring to. Something else occurred to him. She was a witch! She was not the innocent unsuspicious muggle he had thought her to be. He had felt immensely guilty when he hadn't been able to tell her that he was a wizard because of the Statue of Secrecy, now all he could do was curse her in his mind. He suddenly realized that Hermione must have read this article too. He felt horrible now. He had caused her enough pain as it is.

'She doesn't deserve this,' said Ron vehemently. He got up abruptly and started gathering his things swiftly. Once he was sure everything was packed, he left the hotel room and checked out. He was going to go back to London and face his problems.

llllllll

'Harry, I need to find out where Draco is. He is not at work or his mother's house, I checked,' said Hermione urgently.

'Well, hello to you too,' said Harry removing his coat. After he had left earlier, Hermione had got to work trying to find Draco. When she had had no luck, she had called upon Harry for help.

'Harry, this is serious. I need to find him please,' said Hermione tearfully. 'I have to apologize and tell him that he is the only man I love,'

'Okay, okay,' said Harry relenting. 'Now tell me, where is the most likely place he would go if he was upset?'

Hermione thought for a moment. She looked back at the many conversations they had had when they were not having sex. Finally, she got it! She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before.

'He would go to his best friend- Zabini,' said Hermione triumphantly.

llllllll

Hermione waited outside the door nervously. She glanced at Harry and could tell that he wasn't enjoying this at all. Facing two of his greatest enemies in one day? She didn't think it was his idea of fun.

'I'm really sorry, Harry,' said Hermione quietly.

'Don't be. You can repay me later,' said Harry kindly.

Hermione rolled her eyes and knocked again. Finally, the door was opened by- who else-an elf.

'Hello, I am looking for Mr. Zabini,' said Hermione politely.

The elf nodded and asked her to follow him. Harry and Hermione gazed at the house with awe. It was massive and filled with antiques and paintings. They followed the elf up the marble staircase and then finally to a room which looked like the…bar room. The door was open and Zabini noticed them straightaway. He had been filling two glasses with firewhisky.

'What are you doing here, Granger?' he asked snidely.

'I am looking for Draco,' said Hermione desperately. 'I knew he would be with you. I really need to talk to him,'

'You are right, he is here. But I won't let you go anywhere near him. You've already hurt him enough,' he said severely.

'I have not come to hurt him. I made an honest mistake and I want to apologize. I love him, Zabini,' said Hermione miserably.

Zabini stared at her for a second. Hermione looked at Harry helplessly. He was just about to step in when Zabini nodded and gestured for them to follow him. The walked almost the whole length of the floor before they stopped in front of an enormous room. Hermione could see Draco sitting on the bed morosely. She didn't think for a second and flung herself at him.

'Oh Draco, I am so sorry! I didn't mean what I said. I had simply meant that I had loved Ron _before_ and not anymore. I am not lying. Really,' said Hermione pleadingly.

Draco looked at her stunned.

'How did you know I was here?' he asked flabbergasted.

'You had told me once,' said Hermione meekly.

Draco nodded and said, 'Look Hermione, I am not mad at you. If you love him just be honest about it,'

'I don't! I love _you_. Believe me,' said Hermione with widened eyes.

He searched her face for any traces of pretense and couldn't find any.

'I love you, too,' he said softly and pulled her close.

llllllll

Ron apparated outside Hermione's building. He walked inside cautiously and took the elevator. He was in no hurry to get there. Finally, when he reached the third floor, he stepped out shaking with dread. He was afraid of what Hermione would do to him. He had never really forgotten the birds she had set on him in their sixth year. He knocked the door and waited.

**Two months. Beyond forgivable, I know. I won't make any excuses, all I'm gonna say is I didn't feel like writing. I am really very sorry. To all those who are still reading this, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be up. I have my exams coming up this Thursday. But still. This time I will make a real effort to update soon. Thank you for reviewing, putting this story to alert and/ favorites. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13-

'Hermione, now that we are a real couple I think it's time you moved in with me. Permanently.' said Draco softly.

Hermione smiled at him and said, 'Sure. Tell you what, give me a couple of days and I'll be at your door step ready to annoy you for the rest of your life.'

Draco laughed and hugged her tightly.

Harry felt like he was going to be sick and coughed pointedly. Just because Hermione was with Draco that didn't mean he had forgiven him for everything. He still didn't like Draco very much but was ready to give him one more chance as he had proved to be more of a man than his "best friend" Ron had.

Draco looked up, walked to Harry, and said, 'Potter, thank you for bringing her to me. And anyway, since I am with Hermione I'm going to be seeing a lot of you, so maybe we can start again?' He stuck his hand out.

Harry smiled and took his hand this time unlike his first year at Hogwarts.

'Well, about me? I am going to see a lot of you guys too!' exclaimed Zabini from behind.

Harry whirled around. He had forgotten Zabini was present in the room too. He looked at Zabini suspiciously and asked, 'How do I know you have changed too?'

'If I hadn't, Draco wouldn't call me his best friend,' offered Zabini. 'And how do I know you haven't changed your arrogant ways?'

'I am ready to start again if you are,' countered Harry coolly.

'It's not like I have much of a choice,' shot back Zabini. Then he grinned and stuck his hand out. Harry smiled and shook it.

'Well, that's sorted then!' said Hermione suddenly. 'Now I must go and get ready to move in with my dear fiancé.'

'Yes, of course, I shall see you later.' said Draco winking at her.

Harry rolled his eyes. It was going to take some time to get used to this.

Hermione got up, hugged Harry, smiled at Zabini and left the house. As soon as she was out, she turned, and apparated to her house. When she opened her eyes after the familiar horrible sensation, she gasped. Ron was sitting against the door of her apartment. She wondered furiously what he was doing here. How could he even have the nerve of showing his face again? Hadn't he hurt her enough already? Though it didn't matter now, it still stung that her first true love had proven to be such an asshole.

She looked at him closely and saw that he was sleeping. She guessed he had been waiting for a while. Wanting to surprise him, he walked to where he was sitting and kicked him hard. He jumped and looked around for a second. He had forgotten where he was. Then he heard Hermione's voice.

'What the _hell _are you doing here, Ronald Weasley?' asked Hermione ferociously.

'I, uh, wanted to t-talk to you,' said Ron nervously. Then he continued, 'I wanted to apologize. For everything.'

'I don't want to see you ever again. Get out of my face.' said Hermione dangerously. She removed her wand and pointed it at him.

Ron gulped and said, 'Please, Hermione. Let me explain.'

'Oh, so you have an excuse for all this stupidity you did?' asked Hermione sarcastically.

'Well, no, but I do feel really horrible and I want to apologize to you. I am really sorry, Hermione. Words cannot express how awful I feel. I cheated on you and then left you at the altar without a suitable expression. I can only imagine how terrible you must have felt,' said Ron sincerely.

'Are you done? Now leave.' said Hermione coldly.

'Hermione, won't you forgive me? I had been your best friend forever,' Ron looked miserable.

'No. There is no place for you in my life anymore,' said Hermione with a sort of finality in her voice. 'Harry is really furious too. I don't know if he will forgive you, but I know I never will.'

She pushed his out the way roughly and glared at him until he said, 'Alright, I'm leaving but I really hope you can forgive me someday.'

She didn't say anything and waited for him to leave. He picked up his bag and left quietly. When he did, she sighed slowly and let herself into the apartment. What a day it had been.

**I'm really really really really really SORRY! I know I didn't update for a long time. Hopefully you guys will forgive me? *shows puppy dog eyes* Anyway, don't go anywhere yet. I still have the last chapter left to upload. You'll find out who the boss was, in the next chapter, and what happens to Ron and Sally finally! ** **Tata. **

**-EpitomeOfImperfection**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14-**

Hermione gazed at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe her eyes. Ginny had managed to work a second miracle. She looked gorgeous, she thought in disbelief.

'Ginny, I…I don't know what to say,' said Hermione.

'Well then, don't. You should have enough faith in my makeover skills by now,' said Ginny unable to hide the smug look on her face.

'It _is_ my second time down the aisle,' muttered Hermione ashamedly.

After Draco and Hermione had moved in together, it hadn't taken Draco even a week to propose to her. Hermione had been hesitant to say yes at first, not because she didn't love Draco but because her first try at having a wedding had resulted in such a huge scandal.

'Don't you dare feel ashamed about what my good-for-nothing brother did,' said Ginny her eyes flashing angrily. Just because Ron was her brother didn't mean that she had forgiven him. He had shown up at her and Harry's house and begged them to forgive her. They had absolutely refused to speak to him. He had gone to The Burrow too. While Mrs. Weasley had slightly melted, Mr. Weasley was having none of his nonsense.

Hermione smiled at Ginny gratefully and said, 'Honestly, Ginny, thank you so much. I don't know what I would do without you. Harry and Draco are great but they are, well, _boys_.' She rolled her eyes.

'Don't worry about it, gorgeous. It's your day, go enjoy it,' said Ginny smiling at her warmly.

'And this time the groom is right there waiting for you,' said a new male voice.

'Dad!' exclaimed Hermione delighted.

Hermione's father, Dr, Granger, stood right behind gazing at his daughter proudly.

'Honey, you look beautiful,' he said.

Hermione blinked back tears and said, 'Oh dad, I'm so glad you're here,'

'How could I not be? It's painful having to give your daughter away but it's slightly reassuring if he is a good man,' said Dr. Granger his eyes misting over too.

'Are you all ready? Everyone's waiting!' said Hermione's mother rushing in.

Dr. Granger looked at his daughter expectantly and when she nodded, held out his arm and smiled when she took it.

xxxxx

So no one was ready to talk to him. No freaking one. Not even Harry, his best friend since their first year at Hogwarts. Ron knew that it was his fault that he was completely alone. He wanted to do _something_ to make it right. Anything. He knew groveling and begging wouldn't work. That _might _have worked if Hermione hadn't been so publicly humiliated because of that newspaper article. If it wasn't bad enough for her to find out that he had had an affair with another woman _after_ proposing, she had to find out about it just like everyone else. She would never forgive him for crushing her like this.

If only he could retract that article. Or stop Sally from passing the information to the writer, thought Ron dejectedly.

Wait. That was it. He could find out who the writer was and make him or her, whoever it was, to apologize to Hermione publicly. It would not make her talk to him again but it might make her hate him a bit less than she already did.

Ron's mind worked furiously. He knew that he would have to find Sally to get to the writer. If finding Sally wasn't difficult enough, he knew he would have to claw his way through a pit of jelly to get her to release information about the writer. Still, he at least had to try.

He removed the muggle invented device they called cell phones and was relieved to see that he hadn't lost Sally's number. He didn't trust these things to work efficiently. He called her and waited for her to pick up.

_Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up, please- _

'Hello?' Ron heard Sally's voice! 'Hello, is anyone there?' she repeated.

Ron shook his head and disguised his voice a bit. He had figured why she picked his call up, she didn't have his number. He had only called her once from a public phone booth.

He remembered Sally had met someone called 'Boss' in a park in Australia. He knew that if he told her it was him, Ron, she would hang up. However, something told him that if he told her he was 'Boss' then she would listen.

'Sally, it's me boss,' said Ron desperately hoping that she would fall for his trick.

'Who?' she asked rudely.

'What do you mean who? You know very well who it is,' said Ron trying to sound intimidating.

'Gunther? What happened to your voice?' asked Sally suspiciously.

Ron gulped and said, 'Nothing. I guess there is a connection problem. Anyway, I have some important news for you.'

'What is it?' she already sounded bored.

'I can't tell you over the phone. You'll have to meet me,' said Ron slightly more confidently now that Sally had bought it that he was Gunther.

'I'm not sure I can. I'm kind of busy nowadays,' replied Sally hesitantly.

'Well, I guess I'll tell _my _boss that you're not willing to meet us,' said Ron. He knew this would do the trick.

'Wait, what? _She_ wants to meet me?' asked Sally in a stunned voice.

Ron knew that it had been the right thing to mention the writer. Sally sounded star struck, which meant that _she_, the writer, was very famous.

'Yes,' he replied curtly.

'I'll be there, Gunther. Tell me when and where,' said Sally her entire demeanor changing.

Ron smirked and said, 'Diagon Alley, tomorrow at six in the evening,'

Then he hung up the phone without waiting for an answer. The first phase of his plan had worked. Now he had to come up with a fool-proof way of making Sally spill the identity of the writer.

**Okay, so I know I said this would be the last chapter but I just couldn't resist dragging this story out a little longer. I'm sorry if you were waiting for the end. Anyway, I updated faster than the time I took to update the last chapter. I know I took too long for this one too but I'll make it up to you guys by updating the next chapter very soon! **

**Thank you to all those people who commented, followed and/ favourite-ed! You rock, really. **

**Until next time, **

**EpitomeOfImperfection**


	15. ATTENTION!

**Dear Readers (if I still have any),**

**I am awfully sorry. I can't believe it has been two years now. This was one story that I had a shot at completing and I screwed that up as well. I'm so sorry if I disappointed you guys! Anyway, I just reread the story and, very honestly, I'm not proud of it. It's cringe-worthy. I'm so very grateful to you all for giving me so much support despite all the errors. A lot of parts make no sense and aren't well thought-out. I kind of want to make it better, like edit it maybe? Add more details; provide suitable explanations for some things that happened, add more scenarios and change the overall story a bit. Moreover, I haven't uploaded the final chapter yet. So I was thinking that I could do that after editing. I don't know. What do you guys think? **

**Love, **

**The terrible author who didn't update but promises to do so if she has any readers**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15- **

Ron sat himself on the chair at the Leaky Cauldron and glanced around. It was a quiet evening with hardly anyone around. Apart from an old hag in the corner, there was no one else. Tom, the barman, was sitting at the counter gloomily. Perhaps because there weren't many customers, Ron supposed.

Sally wasn't here yet but he wasn't worried. There were five more minutes until six o'clock and plenty of time for her to show up. He didn't have to wait for long though as Sally showed up at exactly 5:59. Ron guessed that she was extremely eager to meet her boss, whoever it was. When he saw Sally's eyes wandering around the room, he knew his cover would be blown any second. He waited for her eyes to land on him and her almost definite expression of fury.

Sure enough, in a matter of seconds, there she was, staring at him in disbelief.

"What are you doing?" she asked furiously after stalking over to where he was sitting.

"I want to talk to you. Take a seat," said Ron.

"Well, I don't want to talk! I'm leaving," she glared at him and started to walk away.

"I know your secret, Sally," said Ron calmly.

Sally stopped and turned around. She sneered, "Oh really, what secret would that be?"

_Don't give it away yet, _Ron told himself. The fact that she stopped as soon as she heard the word 'secret' gave him the boost to continue.

"The one absolutely no one knows about," said Ron not letting any sign of nervousness cross his face. He had to do this. He had to get Sally to spill the beans.

Sally started to look a little pale, "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said with less confidence than before.

"Yes, you do," said Ron concentrating very hard on keeping his face smooth. "I know everything, Sally; you might as well drop the pretense."

Sally's face drained of all colour.

"How did you find out?" she whispered, her eyes wide with fear.

"I did my research," Ron shrugged.

"You can't tell anyone," she licked her lips nervously.

"That's for me to decide. I'm not sure yet…how about you convince me?" said Ron with a smirk.

"Please, Ron. You can't tell anyone. I'll be ruined. I'll do anything. Anything! Tell me what you want and it's yours," she said desperately.

Ron puckered his lips and pretended to think for a moment.

"Why don't you take a seat first?" he gestured to the chair opposite him.

Sally heeded him immediately and sat down.

"Tell me what you want, Ron," repeated Sally.

"I have one condition and you have to comply by it," said Ron warningly.

Sally nodded unfazed, "Whatever you want."

"I want to know who your boss is," announced Ron.

Sally stared at him in shock and shook her head. "I can't tell you," she said flatly.

"Then I guess I'll have to let your secret out," said Ron evenly.

"Please. I'll do anything else. Don't make me do this," pleaded Sally.

Ron shook his head and attempted to push his chair from the table, "I'll see you then."

He stood up and started to walk.

_Please let this work, _he prayed.

"Alright, I'll tell you," said Sally with a sigh.

Ron smiled smugly before turning around and sitting down again.

XX

To say that Ron was elated would be an understatement. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy. He had finally got to know who the 'boss' behind the article was. Things were finally going his way. He knew that although Hermione wouldn't be forgiving him completely anytime soon, he would at least make up for some of the wrong he did to her by giving her this information.

If he was very honest, getting the information out of Sally hadn't been difficult. After calling her yesterday, he had spent all night thinking about how to get the identity of the boss out of her. After some serious brainstorming, he had finally worked out a plan.

The truth was that he didn't know any secret of Sally's. He figured that almost every other person had a dark secret they wanted to share with no one. He decided to take the chance that Sally had one and took it from there. He believed himself to be purely lucky that she had a secret that was so dark that she was willing to give up almost anything to keep it hidden. He had simply called a bluff, deciding it was his best shot. He was curious, however, as to what she was hiding.

Currently, he was standing outside Harry's house. He was working up the courage to go in there. He had no idea where Hermione was having checked her house already and decided that Harry was the only one who would be able to help.

He told himself that he was about to do a good deed for once and straightened his shoulders. He walked to the door and knocked thrice trying to erase the fear from his mind. In a moment or two, the door opened and Ginny's surprised face loomed.

"Ron, why exactly are you showing your lousy face here?" asked his sister ferociously.

"I need to speak to Harry," said Ron nervously. Ginny was quite scary when she was angry.

"He doesn't want to speak to you!" exclaimed Ginny.

"It's okay, Ginny, let him in," Ron heard Harry speak from behind her.

Ginny shot him one last glare and walked away huffily.

Ron walked in and smiled at Harry gratefully. Harry, in turn, looked at him coldly.

"What do you want, Ron?"

"I have something important to tell you."

Harry scrutinized his earnest face and said, "Let's talk in the living room."

Ron nodded. He looked around for his nephew.

"How's James? I haven't seen him for so long," he said.

"He's good. He's sleeping upstairs," replied Harry settling down on the sofa.

Ron followed suit and sat down. He hated the tension between the two of them.

"So what did you want to talk about?" asked Harry shortly.

Ron cringed at his less than friendly tone.

"First of all, I would like to apologize. I'm really sorry for being such an arse. I was selfish and a coward," said Ron sincerely.

The expression on Harry's face softened.

"Yes, you were. However, I'll forgive you in due course," he conceded.

Ron nodded gratefully. He said, "Well, I'm supposing you read the article about me in the Daily Prophet?' scratching his head nervously and turning red.

"I might have glanced at it, yes," said Harry sarcastically.

"I know who's behind it."

Harry gaped at him and immediately stood up. He strode to the fireplace and reached for a flower pot placed on a shelf right above it.

Ron stared at him with a bemused expression. "Er..Harry? What's going on?"

"Are you sure your information is authentic?" asked Harry urgently.

Ron nodded puzzled. "Yes, why?"

His question went unanswered, however, as Harry scooped some powder from the flower pot and threw it in the fireplace.

"Come on, Ron, fast!"

Ron stood up astonished as the flames in the fireplace turned green and asked, "Where to?"

"The Malfoy Manor," replied Harry.

XX

**Don't kill me! I still have about two more chapters to go. I'm really sorry for dragging this story but I didn't want to squeeze everything into this chapter. Hopefully, you enjoyed it. I promise I'll update in a day or two or even tomorrow if I get the right amount of feedback. ;) **

**Now I would like to clear some things up. Firstly, I know I've been really vague about where Sally lives. Well, she's from Australia but she lives in London. **_**Which is why she was able to meet Ron at such short notice.**_** Secondly, Sally's secret is not important to this story and will not be revealed. However, if a lot of you are extremely curious, I might write a spinoff. Let's say, about 10-15 of you? Leave me a review if you're interested. Thirdly, I had absolutely no idea what to call Malfoy, as in Draco's, house; so it's to be assumed that his house is called the Malfoy Manor even though I'm well aware that it's Lucius Malfoy's house's name too. That's about it. If you have any other doubts from the previous chapters, let me know and I'll be glad to clear it up. I'm repeating again though that the plot wasn't well thought-out earlier. **

**Also, I'm so very grateful to all of you who are still reading my story. Really, I feel blessed. Thank you so much for reviewing, favourite-ing and putting the story on alert! I have plenty of time, at the moment, so I won't disappoint you this time. Plus, I have the rest of the story mapped out in my head so I just need to write it all down. If I'm motivated enough (hint: review), I can probably finish this story in two days. **

**I've been thinking about starting a new story after I finish this one. If you've got any ideas please let me know. If there's something else you would like to read let me know about that as well.**

**Okay, I'm done. Phew, that was long. **

**Thank you so much, once again! **

**Until next time, **

**EpitomeOfImperfection **


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